


Secret Meetings

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Series: Merlin Prompts [61]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Confused Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Arthur, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Arthur finds out that Merlin is keeping secrets from him, so naturally he needs to find out what
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Prompts [61]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706692
Comments: 14
Kudos: 458
Collections: favorite Merlin fics (Luciferskitten_Arthursprincess)





	Secret Meetings

Arthur prided himself in knowing what happened inside his Castle. Morgana called it gossiping, but Arthur firmly believed that it made him a better Prince-Regent, to know what was happening within the walls of Camelot. Most of it was funnelled to him by Merlin, a chatterbox if he’d ever met one, not that Arthur minded. It had become a regular thing, listening to Merlin, and was quite comforting giving the turmoil his Kingdom was facing.

Uther may not be of his right mind, but he was still alive. Arthur picked up the slack where he could, trying to negotiate a peace with his half-sister in understanding of her Magic, prompted by Merlin. But many prejudices still existed, and Arthur could not repeal the ban on Magic while Uther was alive, not even for Morgana or Merlin.

Anyway, back to the point of gossip. Arthur could tell you a lot about his people, about which maids flirted with which Knights, the way that Martha the cook had been flirting with Gaius for a while now. Ava, one of Morgana’s maids, was expecting a baby. Philip, from the stables, was courting a girl from the lower Village. Most of the time, these little titbits of information weren’t that important, although they did allow him to strike up a conversation with the servants.

It proved useful, because Merlin was still disappearing. When he’d admitted to his secret, Arthur thought that would be the end of the worry that came with his vanishing acts. Sadly, Merlin still seemed to disappear every so often, returning much later with very little explanation as to where he’d been.

These facts brought Arthur to the conclusion that Merlin was hiding something bigger than his magic. That could only mean it was something very illegal, and the Prince had been debating how to deal with this for a while. He could ask the Knights for assistance, they all adored Merlin, but it might be an overstep. After all, Merlin was his friend, and he should have been able to figure it out.

Morgana would laugh, then swan away like she owned the Castle, so she wasn’t an option.

Arthur had almost managed to convince himself that it wasn’t a big deal, when he ran straight into the issue.

It was a normal day in Camelot; Arthur hunting down his manservant and grumbling under his breath about how Merlin should have woken him for his Council meeting. His musings drew him to the servant-passage down to the kitchen, where the Prince almost walked straight past the corridor, before he heard murmurings.

If anyone had seen the Prince plaster himself to the wall, trying to vanish into the shadows of his _own_ Castle, he would deny it to the day he died.

‘… after patrol?’ Sir Gwaine? Arthur peeked around the corner, found his rebellious Knight standing opposite Merlin. Of course those two would be skiving their duties together, the chaos they could bring to Camelot was terrifying. He leaned forward slightly, trying to pick up on what they were discussing.

‘What about the armoury?’ Clearly, this was something nobody was supposed to hear. That meant it was the perfect conversation for Arthur, who wondered if Gwaine knew about the issue of Magic.

‘We should get at least a couple of hours before the patrols switch.’ Treachery? It was impossible, Arthur dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. Gwaine was loyal to Merlin, and Merlin was loyal to him. Of that, Arthur had no doubt.

So why were two of his closest advisors currently plotting to meet in the armoury? What could they need from that room, other than weapons?

Betrayal burned in his gut, just as it had when he found out his manservant had Magic. He trusted Merlin, and the man repaid him by hiding things from him at every turn. Trusting Gwaine over him? Arthur was tempted to break his hidden stance, to demand an explanation, but he withheld that action.

‘I’ll meet you there after dinner.’ Merlin promised, before vanishing down the corridor in a hurry. Gwaine waited till the count of ten, before following.

**

Guinevere was not impressed. Surprisingly, this was a common emotion in their relationship, her frown turning to a reluctant smile as he tried to charm her.

‘Of this matter, there is nobody I trust more.’ He kissed the back of her hand, watched her lips twitch in amusement as he did so. She would make a brilliant Queen, the right mix of firm yet gentle, of loving but strong.

Sure enough, Gwen eventually sighed, squeezing his hand in an affectionate gesture.

‘Fine, but I stick by my opinion of asking Merlin what he was doing.’ Was it strange that his Queen and his manservant were best friends? He dismissed the thought, trying not to smile too brightly at Gwen wanting to join him on this quest.

‘We shall meet after dinner.’ He informed her, ducking to press a kiss to her cheek. Gwen smiled, tilting into the touch briefly, before stepping back.

Arthur was halted from leaving when her fingers closed around the sleeve of his jacket, her eyes warm and open as she studied him.

‘You know that Merlin would never betray you, Arthur.’

He could only hope she was right.

**

Merlin paced anxiously, picking at the hem of his shirt while he waited for Gwaine to arrive. It was cold in the armoury; the night had brought with it a chill he couldn’t seem to shake. Combined with the fact it was dark, save for the torches, it provided a place that few wanted to go in at this time. That made it perfect for secret meetings such as this, knowing that the next person to walk through the door would definitely be Gwaine.

Sure enough, the Knight appeared just moments later, grinning when he spotted him.

‘Merls! I brought food!’ The Warlock snorted with laughter, led the Knight over to the hidden spot that he’d prepared. He’d stolen some of Arthur’s rattier blankets, placed them down over the cold stone and even stoked up the fireplace that sat in the far corner.

‘Of course you did, always thinking with your stomach.’ Gwaine’s smirk eased the last knot of tension in his stomach, coming to settle by his side and revealing the plate of food.

This part was familiar, Gwaine taking a seat and leaning against the wall, while Merlin sat beside him. They kept a distance between them, a habit that was difficult to shake.

‘How was your day?’ It sounded awkward even to his own ears, and Gwaine laughed, reaching to ruffle his hair.

‘You don’t have to panic, nobody comes down here. Not even the Princess, and we all know he loves pointy things.’ It was Merlin’s turn to laugh, curling into Gwaine’s side and settling against his chest.

In these moments, there was nothing more comforting than finally being able to touch his Knight. It sounded stupid, but having to hide another part of himself… It wasn’t easy.

‘I hate lying to everyone.’ He mumbled, before taking a bite of the strawberry that Gwaine offered out.

‘One day, we won’t have to.’ Gwaine’s optimistic view never failed to make him smile, peering up at his Knight and studying him.

Camelot suited Gwaine, just as Magic suited Merlin. Just as they suited each other, he concluded.

‘You sound sure of that.’ Another strawberry, bitten into and chewed while Gwaine just watched.

‘Things will be different, when Arthur’s King.’ It was one of the only times that he’d heard Gwaine called Arthur by his name, rather than a nickname. Proof that this was a serious conversation.

‘Why would he change such a thing, when… oomph!’ He was cut off by Gwaine’s lips coming to his, a hand tilting his chin up so that they could press together. After the initial surprise, Merlin melted into the warm embrace, smiling against Gwaine’s lips even after he pulled back.

‘We won’t always have to hide.’ Gwaine promised, his thumb brushing over Merlin’s lip while his eyes tracked the movement.

Merlin could almost believe the statement was true, proved it by reaching for another kiss. This one was sweeter, lingering until they finally pulled apart, breath heavy.

‘So, more strawberries?’

**

Together. His Knight, and his manservant, curled up together in the armoury. They were cuddled close, blankets trying to stave off the cold, chatting away like it was a perfectly ordinary thing to be doing.

When they had kissed, Gwen’s gasp was almost loud enough to reveal the two of them, hiding behind the stone pillar and watching.

The kissing gave way to talking, to Gwaine’s teasing and Merlin’s laughter, brighter than he’d ever heard. There was no hesitation in the casual touches between them, an affection that Arthur could understand. It was the same with Guinevere, although he didn’t dare be as open when he wasn’t yet King.

All those times that Arthur had made fun of Merlin for his limited view on love, on his opinions or advice about him and Guinevere, when Merlin had a lover of his own.

‘Things will be different.’ Gwaine promised, when the time began to dwindle and the patrols would soon be coming back. Their hands were linked on top of a ratty blanket, one of the ones that Arthur had told Merlin to give to his hounds. Yet they looked happy, regardless of the cold or the dark.

‘One day.’ Merlin agreed, before they were pressing their foreheads together, like they could bear no distance between them. Arthur waited, although he wasn’t sure what he expected, perhaps something more than just the silence they settled with.

When Merlin pulled back, it was with a look of regret, abandoning Gwaine’s hand and laughing humourlessly.

‘I guess I should be going.’ The tone of his voice was almost enough for Arthur to change the law right there, on that very spot, for making someone so… broken. The crushed hope in his eyes, it was worse than anything Arthur had ever seen, and he could tell Guinevere was thinking the same when she covered her mouth with her hand, sucking in air.

‘As should I. Practice with the Princess in the morning, you know.’ Gwaine’s usual cocky attitude fell flat in that moment, the two of them folding the blankets in silence.

‘Goodnight, Sir Gwaine.’

‘And to you, Merlin.’

Perhaps it wasn’t just the prejudices on Magic that would need to change, when Arthur became King.


End file.
